Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have lived in several places outside of NYC and I did have an easier time there vs. NYC. The only place that was not as great was SoCal, but I still consider the quality of life much better because you have awesome weather and beaches..which are free!--and they make up for a lot lol. Otherwise, it's expensive and the pay is crap as well.
Is the job market in Socal that bad? I am hoping to move there in a couple of years, and hope to find something. Of course, I will have a job lined up before I physically move, but I keep hearing such negative things about how the job market there is terrible, I am starting to get nervous.
Is the job market in Socal that bad? I am hoping to move there in a couple of years, and hope to find something. Of course, I will have a job lined up before I physically move, but I keep hearing such negative things about how the job market there is terrible, I am starting to get nervous.
One of the worst areas in the country right now for jobs, depending on who you listen to.
the area where i lived at was ranked number three of the jobless market inside the state and they where talking in the number's of out 1 person with a job four did not have a job or working part time.
that why i wanted to retire and move out of the area .
Well, NYC does have more competition than most places in the country for jobs. But then again... it has more JOBS! Where I'm at (Michigan) the market is worse than anything you guys are talking about. Maybe not quite as bad as it was when GM and Chrysler were going broke, but still close to that bad. Then again, the COL is very low too. So it's all a crap shoot and it all balances out for the most part.
What I find to be an asset to being in the NYC area is that you have an array and diversity of job options that do not exist anywhere else. I know how hard it is, especially if you have years and years of experience to just start looking outside of your field. But it's worth looking into.
I could have stayed there and worked a sales job (not what I went to school for) but was too nervous to do so. It would have paid a 35K base plus about 30K in commissions (this was the company average). But I didn't like the thought of being uncertain of how much I'd be making. And I didn't bust my ass in school for years to be selling phones lol. All I'm saying is that positions like this are out there if you get that desperate and just need something to make ends meet. You can always continue your search while getting some income streaming in. I know that's much easier said than done, but your survival should trump what some dumbass interviewer thinks. This job offer was with Verizon, btw. I found it by Googling Forbes 'Ten Companies Hiring Now' about a year ago. If someone asks why I bartended or why I worked crap retail gigs I am not ashamed of that at all.
I could have had my parents just cut me a check, but I didn't like the idea of losing my independence or my self-respect and dignity (a much higher cost). I mean seriously, would these employers rather have some spoiled out-of-touch rich brat instead of a regular working kid who doesn't hit up mom and dad? It seems that way sometimes... maybe birds of a feather flock together? It would make sense in Manhattan at least. I honestly think I may need therapy at some point just from all of the mind games people played with me when I went out trying for these jobs. You can start to lose your mind. I still wonder- was it that I was too 'fat' (I'm an average weight but maybe that isn't enough?). Or was it that I wasn't flirty enough with the males interviewing me? Or was I too flirty? Lol Was it the outfit, was my hair the right way, did I laugh at the right times, did I put on a happy enough face and answer the questions with enough wit... it just goes on and on to the point where I think Prozac may be a good option for me. The constant rejection can mentally wear you down, especially when you have a people-pleaser personality. It makes you feel like you have failed. I suspect I'm not the only one having these kinds of thoughts.
In my hometown, suicides this past year were up 400% from where they were at before the economy crapped out. And that isn't an exaggeration, as much as I wish it were. The worst part is feeling like no one hears you. You turn on the television and according to the media and the government everything's on the up-and-up. Meanwhile, you've lost the ability to find enjoyment in much of anything, you feel disconnected from society, you feel like a loser. And then, ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, you get Republicans telling you you're just lazy and want a hand-out.
You went to school for years, paid a lot of money. But that doesn't matter to the Repugs. You should have known your place (especially if you're a woman). Evidently I had it all wrong. I was supposed to stay in my hometown forever, never see the world, and get hitched at 17 to the first guy I met at church. Then I could start making babies, barefoot and pregnant. MAYBE I could take a job at the local Wal-Mart to help hubby with the bills. This is what I was supposed to do, evidently. I wasn't supposed to become independent, I wasn't supposed to educate myself. Sorry for going on that rant. But my point is, it all feels like a punishment because I took the more difficult road. If I finish this Master's in Accounting (have a 3.85 GPA) and still can't find work, I'm going to start to really think I should've just been Donna Reed all along. I don't think that will happen, but if it does I may take a break from City-data to hang out with some very nice people in a padded room while weaving baskets all day and eating hospital food.
Last edited by EastBoundandDownChick; 05-26-2011 at 07:46 PM..
Sorry to hear that you are having a hard time. In a major city with over 8 million people living here there is definitely fierce competition for the better paying jobs. A lot of highly educated people here....bachelors and masters degrees are a dime a dozen here like breathing air. Very hard to stand out in a crowd where most around you have just as much education and experience as you do. NYC is not for everyone....this city can either make you or break you. Many of us who were born here have been chewed up and spit out on many occasions....a tough place for sure!
This is definitely 100% true. I feel for the people with the sad stories, but don't understand why they don't just buck up and leave..it's not like NYC is the only place on the face of earth. Unfortunately I'm stuck here and have no choice but to make do, but I tire of people who DO have choices and continue to put themselves through the misery..it's like an abusive bf they can't seem to leave.
......I must have bumped my head. Are we living in NYC or Bumblefunk, Louisiana? The last time I checked, it costs $1,500 to rent a decent one-bedroom in Brooklyn.
I've been looking on Craigslist, Monster and the likes. I see MANY positions that require extensive experience AND a Bachelors degre. They're paying an average of $35,000/year. WHAT?!?!?!?! I repeat, THEY WANT YOU TO HAVE A 4-year degree!!!
I am not sure about you guys, but I'm hardballing it and waiting for something that pays at least $50,000/year. I know I didn't go to college to be eating Top Ramen for the rest of my life. Employers CAN afford to pay a few more thousand a year, but with so many people coming to NYC in search of their "dream" and "lots of jobs & money", I guess they have the upperhand on us, huh? (Give it a few more business quarters. Things ARE improving and this *hopefully* should NOT last for long...knock on wood.)
Am I being unreasonable to want $50,000/year???? I prefer not to mess up my resume and job hop, so holding off seems like the responsible thing for me to do. I'm taking temp jobs at the moment for flexibility to interview. Of course you get soooo many interviewers asking why you have been temping the last 2 years. I have had to explain to them, a million times, that I went back to college full-time. Besides that, are they TOTALLY unaware that we're in the midst of one of the worst recessions of the century???? I know MANY who have been unemployed for over a year.
Feedback? How's your job search going and what is the minimum salary you're willing to accept? How do you feel about things here in NYC? How much do you feel one has to make in order to live comfortably?
I say it takes a reasonable 50k/year, unless you're in a relationship and have a partner that is making an equally good salary as well. Even on 50k, you'll be able to pay the bills and have some fun, but you won't be putting much in your savings account at the end of the day. Retirement looks like it will be happening, for me, when I'm 95, if these NYC employers don't stop being a bunch of cheapskates.
Pretty easy to explain. It's an employers market. Lots of people. Lots of competition. If you don't want the job because of pay someone else will gladly take it. And NYC still leans the employers way even during good economic times. My sister and I both graduated during relatively better economic times and it was still pretty rough. I can't imagine how bad it is for people just entering the market now...but hey at least you toughen up and grow up quick. I really do believe it makes you a stronger person in the long run.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
